New York has right idea about decriminalizing a little pot

New York is finally seeing the wisdom of decriminalizing marijuana, so police, the courts, jails and taxpayer dollars can be used to fight dangerous crime.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo is asking state legislators to make getting caught with a little pot the equivalent of a traffic ticket, with a small fine that brings no criminal record. It isn’t a novel idea. Fourteen states have already done this. New Jersey’s considering it, too.

But what’s striking about Cuomo’s proposal is the powerhouse coalition behind it. Just as the governor built up strong support to make same-sex marriage legal, he’s collected endorsements from the top guns in New York City law enforcement — where 94 percent of the state’s low-level pot arrests are made.

These are the people with the most reason to be tough on crime: Mayor Michael Bloomberg, the New York Police Department and the Manhattan district attorney. All would rather direct precious resources to protect the public from real criminals. We hope their sensible advocacy can propel a similar effort under way across the Hudson, in New Jersey.

Here, Assemblyman Reed Gusciora (D-Mercer) proposed a bill last month that would decriminalize possession of 15 grams or less of marijuana, with fines for repeat violations. Cuomo’s proposal, which doesn’t apply to selling marijuana or smoking it in public, sets the bar at 25 grams or less.

Both measures are a step in the right direction. The needless arrests have to stop: Over the past 15 years, New York City threw the book at more than 500,000 people for having a small amount of marijuana in public view (which, if you’re being stopped and frisked, could mean carrying it in your pocket).

Besides wasting public resources on the least-threatening offenders, the current law sucks legions of kids with no prior record into the criminal justice system.

Half of the 6,200 people charged with low-level marijuana possession in Manhattan last year had never been arrested before, according to the district attorney, Cyrus R. Vance Jr. Now, they all have criminal records, which could prevent them from finding a job or getting into school.

There are also glaring racial disparities. The overwhelming majority of those arrested for marijuana possession are black and Latino, even though statistics show whites are more likely to use the drug.

New Jersey’s bill to decriminalize marijuana, which has 18 co-sponsors, is said to have made it further in the Legislature than any previous effort. We hope New York’s political trendsetters can give it that extra push.